


And When I See You, Every Morning, Every Night

by catnip



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers
Genre: Bad Jokes, Domestic Fluff, Drunkenness, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Post-Canon, friends as one big happy family, ft most of the early ranger team, misunderstandings with happy ends, sexy sexy suspenders, so many smooches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catnip/pseuds/catnip
Summary: The comings and goings of the Park/Oliver household.
Relationships: Tommy Oliver/Adam Park
Kudos: 5





	1. Home Is Where the Kisses Are

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a one off I wrote for fun, and then there was another, and I thought "hey, these are kind of similar!" So clearly the thing to do was turn it into a weird themed series. Set in a future where everyone lives as one big happy family still in Angel Grove because I like it that way. All other deviations from canon are totally also on purpose and not just because I forgot/haven't gotten to that part in the show yet :p No solid timeline, but you can consider them to be in the 21/22 range.
> 
> Title adapted from Loving Life by Rationale.

There was a heavy chemical smell lingering in the air, bleach and faux fragrances still left over from cleaning products. It mingled unpleasantly with the scent of someone’s burnt cooking that had flooded the floor corridor. Inside it was completely empty. No covering even for the sliding glass doors that took up the far wall. Nothing to see but blank, white walls, some of which still looked vaguely stained in places at the baseboard. The kitchen was small, a tiny alcove next to the door that was closed in on one side by a half wall with a kitchen bar attached; the only place there would be to sit and eat, the living room doubtfully big enough to fit a proper table and chairs. The carpet that ran through almost the entire apartment was an unappealing shade of brown.

Down the singular hall there was little more space - two small bedrooms and a cramped bathroom.

Carrying overstuffed packs on their backs and duffle bags in their arms, Tommy and Adam stood together in the doorway and looked over their new imperfect home with matching looks of excitement.

They shuffled inside in silence to dump their cargo into one of the similarly empty bedrooms. There were more bags and boxes inside each of their cars waiting to be unloaded - though it all still only amounted to the barest necessities they’d need to fill the place up. But they both found themselves lingering inside, feet dragging in the living room as they looked around at what was now all theirs.

Tommy broke the quiet stupor between them, grabbing Adam's hand and holding it. His voice was soft, "Welcome home, huh?"

"Yeah." Adam found himself grinning again as he looked into Tommy's face. "Yeah!"

With a sudden whoop, Adam wrapped his arms around Tommy. His grip was nearly rib crushing so he could have enough of a hold to lift him, just barely, off the ground. But it was enough to let him give them both a few spins around the room while they laughed together like idiots.

With a bit of a stumble, Adam managed to settle Tommy back down on the ground. But he didn’t let him go. He leaned closer instead for a kiss, resting against him. A heavy but welcome weight.

"Now we can do that any time we want." 

Adam sounded half dreamy to Tommy and looked it too. Face soft and warm with the smile that went straight to his eyes that Tommy loved so much. It felt surreal, standing here with him in a place all their own. But it was undeniably a good feeling.

"Yup. Just us. You and me." Tommy used his hold on Adam’s hips to lazily sway them back and forth a few times as he spoke. "Now that I have you all to myself, just might not let you leave." 

It was meant to be a cheeky joke, but watching Adam's face, he could see the moment where his expression shifted from joyful to decidedly more misty eyed. 

"Oh no. No way. Don't start crying cause then I'll start and you know I hate that."

That at least got a brief laugh, though Adam’s words were heavier now with emotion as he spoke, "Sorry. It's just…a little crazy to think about." He let his head rest on Tommy’s shoulder, hiding his face away. "I guess it’s still kind of hard to believe, is all. That all this could happen. You, this place, everything…. I've thought about it, but-" he broke off with a shrug, unable to put it into words. 

Since they had secured the apartment they'd both been excited, thinking about how this was the start of something new for both of them. A next step. It had taken more saving, scrimping, and stress than they had expected, but their hard work paid off. But Tommy could understand what Adam was feeling - the reality of it was a little more overwhelming than he expected.

"Yeah." Tommy ran his fingers, slow, through Adam's hair. He heard him sigh, or snuffle, he wasn't sure which, and his thoughts drifted back to the day he had asked him out. Where it had all started, officially. It seemed like an eternity ago with how things had changed through the years. But there had been a few happy tears then just like now. He smiled thinking back to it. "But you're happy, right?"

"Completely," and Tommy could hear it in his voice too, one word tinged with so much affection. 

"Good. Me too." 

They stayed like that for a minute, lost together in their own thoughts. Reluctantly, Tommy pulled them apart with a parting kiss to the top of Adam's head.

"We better call my dad so he can bring over the heavy stuff." They'd purposefully planned it so they could have at least a small moment alone before move in chaos took over - and before they had to play roommates for still clueless parents. Adam looked about as enthused at the idea as Tommy felt. "Can't live in an empty apartment."

"Yeah. And everyone said to reach out whenever so they could come help." Adam glanced over at the naked balcony doors. "Maybe I'll see if Kim thinks house shopping is as fun as clothes. I don't really wanna hang out here at night with that wide open."

"Dude, you know she'd drag you out to compare colors and swatches and stuff in a minute,” Tommy warned with half jesting, half seriousness. “Be careful what you ask for."

"Sounds better than lugging mattresses into an elevator."

Tommy groaned just thinking about it.


	2. The One Natural Wonder of Apartment 4D

Tommy shrugged his shoulder, again, as he tried in vain to keep the strap of his backpack from slipping. The overloaded keyring in his hand filled the silent hallway with soft metal jingling as he tried to find the one to his own place.

_Kim and Aisha… is that Jason's? …. no, that is… isn't this a spare for Rocky's Jeep he sold like months ago?_

Tommy kept up a running commentary in his head, naming each key as he went. Apartments. Parent houses. Cars. As their friends group had moved and grown they had begun passing out spares among themselves. There'd been no big discussion over it - it had just sort of happened. Once a team, always a team. The door was always open. Maybe it was a way to still feel like that, feel connected; Tommy was too busy losing feeling in his fingers from the plastic handles cutting into them to stop and think too fondly about it.

"Finally!" With more than a little fumbling he managed to get the key in and locks undone, turning the knob and trying his best to keep all his shit together as he hustled through the door.

"You know," he called out into the apartment, voice slightly raised, "that color coding stuff wa…" his voice tapered off when he looked up and spotted Adam right in the living room. 

In the middle of the room. Holding himself in a headstand. 

"What are you doing?"

Adam didn't move or open his eyes. "Headstand."

Tommy shook his head, mouth curled into a crooked grin. "Right. Stupid question." He let the backpack, now hanging from the crook of his arm, drop to the floor, kicking it out of the way so he could get into the kitchen and sit the other bags down a little more gently. He tossed a few things into the fridge and grabbed a water bottle from inside. The rest could wait.

The sofa was closer, but Tommy decided the view would be better from a little further away, and sat himself down in one of the counter stools. Popping the top on the water bottle, he took a long drink as he settled in to properly appreciate the scene set before him.

The coffee table had been pushed aside to give Adam room to work. He had himself balanced on bent arms, legs straight and steady in the air above him. Tommy didn't see any tension in his expression or wobble in his position, which was impressive. But he was more interested in other details - like all the skin that was on display. 

Gravity had won against the oversized sleep shirt Adam still had on from that morning, pooling it at his armpits and leaving his torso exposed. Tommy could see the slight tension in his muscles as he kept himself steady. Adam often put himself down as scrawny, but to Tommy the better word was toned; perfectly built to kick ass. He'd always appreciated Adam's form from their first meeting on the mats, and the way he was able to move himself so fluidly in a fight. And, Tommy thought with a grin to himself, he'd found plenty of other things to appreciate about it along the way. 

The oversized gym shorts Adam wore also sagged, though disappointingly not as much. But Tommy wasn't going to complain about the still generous amount of thigh it had put on display. He couldn't work out if the nondescript black shorts were his own or actually Adam's, their clothes often mixed and mingled together at this point. Tommy decided that they were his because he liked that idea better.

He tapped his fingers against the water bottle. It was a shame he didn't have a view of the back too.

His long looks of admiration didn't go unnoticed. Adam could no doubt sense the appreciative leering eyes on him, the smallest smirk fighting to stay off of his face as the seconds ticked by. Eventually he opened his eyes, trying to angle his gaze toward his audience. "Enjoying yourself?" 

"Always."

"Alright." Adam closed his eyes again, attempting to bring his focus back to his pose and not the gawking. But Tommy noted that he could see the first signs of strain on his face.

"How long have you been doing that?"

"What time is it?"

Tommy glanced at the wall clock. "12:36."

"Almost 15 minutes then, or something."

Tommy clicked his tongue, sounding genuinely impressed, "Wow. Cool."

"But, think I'm done." 

With a groan, Adam accepted defeat by distraction and began the slow process of lowering himself down. First went the knees, down into a 90° bend that he held for a moment as his muscles readjusted. Then he let them uncurl to the floor to balance his body on the balls on his feet - and there it was, an almost perfect butt shot which Tommy appreciated for the brief moment it was there - before finally he flattened himself back down on the ground.

"You good?"

"Yeah, actually. Feels pretty nice." Adam rolled over onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. "Do I look like a tomato?"

"Ripe enough to eat." 

Tommy couldn't get the words out without cracking up, which caused Adam too as well. 

"That was bad, even for you."

“Says you. I think it was one of my best, personally. But why'd you decide to do a headstand in the middle of the living room anyway?"

"Dunno. Felt kind of restless, so the idea just came to me."

Tommy nodded. "You still have that paper to finish, don't you."

"Unfortunately," Adam confirmed his suspicions, sounding not too happy about it.

"There you go." Tommy sat the bottle aside and got up, walking over to him. "Need help up?"

Adam didn't, but he held out an arm anyway. "Yeah."

Tommy clasped his hand and pulled, bringing Adam up to his feet. And he took full advantage of the new upright position, pulling him further into a kiss.

"You should take up yoga," he murmured against Adam's lips, stealing a second kiss before speaking again, "wouldn't mind watching you in compromising positions more often."

"You already do." Adam smirked, giving Tommy another quick kiss before side stepping around him and stealing his water bottle for a sip. "I sat all my stuff out in the bedroom before I got distracted so I should actually do some work. Stupid thing is due tomorrow."

Tommy sighed, resigning himself to a metaphorical cold shower. "Responsibilities suck." 

"Big time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was the first bit i actually wrote, just because i liked the visual..... sometimes you just need a little body worship content to pass the time, haha


	3. Sleepyhead

When Adam opened the door, he was caught off guard by the darkness that greeted him. The apartment was pitch black; only a faint light from outside creeped in past the closed blinds. It was strange. He had expected Tommy to be home.

He squinted, letting his eyes adjust as he walked into the apartment to check the answering machine on the counter - the red number glowed zero. "Alright," he spoke to himself, "no messages on my phone and none here." With a frown he flipped on the kitchen light.

It was easy to spot him, then - Tommy, fast asleep on the sofa. Adam’s voice nor the fresh flood of light seemed to have phased him. Still, Adam quickly flipped the switch back off and opted to click on the much dimmer light over the stove instead.

He could see Tommy was still in his jeans and even his boots, curled up on his side enough to fit, arms folded under his head as a makeshift pillow. It was an endearing sight. Adam took a second to save the image away in his mind with a grin. But it couldn't have been comfortable. 

Weighing his options and deciding that if Tommy had fallen asleep like that he must need the rest, Adam let him be while he settled his own self in for the night. If going around the apartment naturally woke Tommy, that was fine. 

He went about the usual routine; keys and wallet in their place, backpack against the wall next to Tommy's, his mail on the counter checked over and ignored because it was just a bill. Next was a trip to the bedroom to throw on a pair of comfortable sweats and t-shirt, also pointedly ignoring the growing pile of laundry in the basket as he did. Grabbing a hair tie from the collection of them on the dresser on his way out, he secured his hair in a messy ponytail as he walked, moving on to the final - and most important - task. Dinner. Adam didn't feel like putting together even the laziest meal, so he dug through the kitchen drawer that housed their collection of takeout menus and picked what sounded best.

Tommy barely stirred while he used the phone to place the order.

With that all set, Adam went to the sofa and crouched down beside it. He took a moment to admire Tommy; peacefully relaxed and still oblivious. Adam didn't often get a chance to see him like this, both of them typically waking up together in the morning. He wondered if maybe it was a little creepy, watching someone sleep. But he was fine with that if it was. 

"Pretty cute, even when you're asleep." Smiling to himself at the complete lack of reaction, he first tried waking him with a kiss at the corner of his mouth. "Time to get up Sleeping Beauty."

He watched, but aside from a brief nose twitch, Tommy didn't move. 

Gently, he shook his arm. "Tommy. Wake up."

It took a few more not so gentle shakes before Tommy began to rouse with a grumble. "Wha-" he blinked at Adam with confused, bleary eyes, but broke into a soft smile when he registered who it was. His voice was horse with sleep, "Hey. You're home."

Adam smiled back. "Yup."

"What time is it?"

"Little after seven. Did you fall asleep as soon as you got home?"

"Seven? Crap." Tommy shifted his position, stretching out and laying his head back against the armrest, closing his eyes again. "Yeah. I was only going to rest for a second but…" he chuckled, "guess that backfired."

Adam frowned a little as he looked Tommy over, idly brushing away a bit of sleep frazzled hair that was stuck to his neck and cheek. Concern laced his voice as he spoke, "Do you feel alright?"

"Yeah. Just exhausted man." Opening his eyes again, Tommy looked at Adam with a surprisingly serious expression. "Remind me never to offer to pick up an extra time at work again."

"I'll do my best." Adam returned his own pointed look, tempered by a small grin. "But you're too nice, and like your boss too much, so I don't know that future Tommy will listen."

"Yeah, well," Tommy shrugged, "you always have permission to beat my ass when necessary."

"I won't forget you said that." Adam stood, uncurling himself up from the floor with a stretch. "I ordered Chinese so dinner will be here in like 15 minutes. And yes, I remembered to ask them to make yours with extra sauce."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you? And how perfect you are? And how I don't deserve you?"

"If you're that grateful," Adam teased, "you can pay when they get here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is tommy's job, you ask? or adam's? well, the answer is, *runs away*


	4. Cat Burglar

“Hey Tommy.”

Tommy stared at Adam from the sofa, trying to process what he was seeing. He had come home looking rather different than when he had left - now he was dressed in a long, heavy winter coat; one that seemed to be at least a size too big for him. He held it around himself awkwardly, hugging his sides.

He greeted Tommy as if nothing was amiss, usual smile on his face.

"Sort of warm for that isn't it? And…" Tommy narrowed his eyes, giving the coat a closer look, "isn't that your dad's?"

"Yeah. I borrowed it, not like he'll notice." Adam straightened himself and adjusted his grip on the coat. "Close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

Adam rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, okay…" Tommy did as he was told and closed his eyes. His mind quickly began to run through possibilities for what Adam could be up to.

He could hear him cross the room and stand in front of him, but continued to wait patiently until he was told he could look. There were some unintelligible murmurs and a bit of rustling.

Some kind of surprise. A big oversized coat to hide it. A coat that he was taking off. Tommy could hear it hit the floor, and then - 

"Alright, you can open them now."

Tommy did. And the smirk that had slowly spread over his face as his imagination ran away from him froze at what he saw.

"Tallulah?!"

A familiar white and orange cat greeted him from her perch in Adam's arms. 

"I stole her. Sort of. I left Mom a note so she wouldn't freak out, though she probably still will."

"Probably," Tommy mumbled in agreement. His brain was still trying to catch up to what he was seeing. "Right ... okay. Why did you steal your mom's cat?"

Adam made a _pfht_ noise, scratching at the top of Tallulah's head. She closed her golden eyes and Tommy could hear her begin to rumble in contentment. "She's hardly my mom's, cause my mom is barely home. She was getting too lonely. I had to rescue her."

Tommy thought about pointing out the times that Adam had made it clear to friends that Tallulah - or Lulu, or Lu, or a million other nicknames the cat had - was not his and had been picked out solely by his mother years ago without his input. But there were more important things to discuss than lingering childhood grievances.

"Alright. But this is a no pet apartment, Adam. We can't have her here." Tommy tried not to sound too condescending, since Adam knew that fact already, but it seemed worth bringing up again.

With a frown Adam adjusted his hold on Tallulah and snuggled her closer to his chest. That seemed to please her even more. "We can keep her a secret. You know her, she barely makes a noise or plays around. No one would know she was even here."

Tommy stared at the cat, who was now staring back at him. He'd always thought she looked a little like an alien - huge pointy ears and big eyes on a small head, with thick fur that puffed up all around her. He'd made a joke about it once, but Adam’s mom had seemed offended on the cat’s behalf. But she had always seemed to be offended by Tommy’s general existence whenever he was in her house. Most of Adam's friends, really.

Possible alien or not, Adam had good points. She'd never been anything but chill all the times he’d been around her.

“I’m sorry, I should have talked to you about it first.” Adam broke the staring contest, Tallulah looking away from Tommy and up toward him. "It was sort of a split second decision, cause I went to leave and she actually started meowing at me, so I felt bad. And she’s getting older too, you know, so," he looked and sounded apologetic. “Sorry.”

“It’s cool. I’m not like, mad.”

"You're looking at her like she took the last cinnamon muffin at Bennie's." 

"What? No." Tommy's unconscious frown quickly smoothed out at the observation. “I just wasn’t expecting a cat so I'm still trying to process that, I guess. I mean, it’s a surprise alright, but…"

“What were you expecting?”

“I dunno.” Tommy could feel his face start to heat up. “Nothing specific.” Adam was looking at him with more good humored scrutiny than he liked, like he had already read Tommy's mind and was waiting to see if he would fess up. But he was saved from having to answer any questions about his too quickly conjured and highly unrealistic fantasies thanks to Tallulah hopping down from Adam’s arms, onto his lap. He ran a hand down her back. “I don’t mind her. She’s a pretty cool cat. But we’ll have to come up with some way to hide her if the landlord needs to come around or something. And get rid of all her fur. Unless you wanna dye your hair white and pretend it's yours."

"No thanks." Adam rubbed his freed arms, strands of said white fur already coming off of them and drifting to the carpet. “Are you sure? Don't feel like you've gotta say yes. I can take her back tomorrow.” 

Tommy could tell that Adam was trying to be reasonable and let him have his say, but the hope in his face gave away how badly he wanted the cat to be able to stay with them. 

“Sure.” He gave Tallulah a scratch at the base of her tail, regretting it as tiny claws began to dig into his thighs. "Don't mind a new roommate. We got a whole extra bedroom for her and everything."

“Thank you,” Adam nearly bounced in place, leaning down to give Tommy a quick peck, and then one to Tallulah, “you’re the best.”

Word quickly spread through the grapevine about the apartment stowaway, and through the week Tallulah entertained several guests that came by just to see her; mostly by allowing them to pet her while she napped on the coffee table. And a cat smuggling network was soon worked out among them in case it was ever needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't ask me where the name tallulah came from because i don't know, it was the very first one that came to me and drove me to write this chapter in the first place. i picture her looking something like a turkish angora. also - adam totally knew what tommy was thinking ;)


	5. Pasta, Party

The easiest part of the plan so far had been getting Tommy out of the house. Adam thanked his Friday classes - for the first and last time - as he idly knocked his knuckles on the counter and listened to the ringing of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Aisha, hey. He just left. Operation Birthday Boy is a go." She laughed, and he couldn't help but grin too. He couldn't remember who came up with the name, but somehow in all their planning they'd gone from making fun of it to using it.

"Alright. I'll start the game of telephone. Hopefully no one messes this one up. See you soon!"

"Yeah, see ya."

He hung up and got to work.

A steady stream of people soon flowed in and out of the apartment. Decorations were brought and strung up, including a banner precariously taped to the wall after Adam told them they weren't allowed to put holes in them. Food was supplied, some homemade and some junk, and of course a cake. And somewhere to put it, the minimal furniture in the room pushed aside as much as it could be to make room for a small folding table.

Things mostly went to plan with only a few arguments, one mysteriously lost bag of streamers, and a very minimal number of near freakouts on Adam's part. And one cat jail break that was quickly thwarted while things were being brought in. 

But it was only when everyone who was coming was accounted for and starting to look bored from lack of things to do that Adam felt his nerves ease off. Looking at how nice everything turned out, he knew he shouldn't have been so stressed. He could always count on his friends for anything. But he wanted everything to be perfect, and he was a worrier by nature.

"Not much longer right?" Kim asked, and Adam checked the time on his watch.

"Yeah. Everything ready?" He knew the answer was yes, but residual anxiousness forced him to ask anyway.

"Yup." She smiled, sounding satisfied, "Pulled it off. He's going to lose his head when he walks in."

"I hope so. I'm still sort of paranoid he heard me on the phone with Jason that one time."

Kim put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Relax. I doubt he knows. And even if he does, he'll still love it like crazy."

"Hope you're right." Adam glanced at the time again. "I'll call his cell phone now, want to try and catch him before he leaves."

Kim let him go and set about hushing everyone up as he picked up the wall phone in the kitchen; this was the final step of Operation Birthday Boy. Adam needed to call Tommy around the time his class ended so they could know exactly when to expect him. They'd already decided to have someone stationed at the bedroom window on lookout, but it wasn't unusual for Tommy to want to run an errand or two after classes. Adam needed to make sure he was heading home and try to steer him that way if he wasn't. Thankfully, Adam had thought up a legitimate excuse to call him with and didn't have to try to lie.

He pulled over the paper pad and pen they kept by the phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Your class done?"

"Yeah, thank goodness. Just got out. I thought she was going to keep us late for as much as she was talking today." The click of a handle and thud of a door closing filled in the background. "What's up?"

"You stopping anywhere or heading back here?"

"No stops. Why, you need something?"

"No. I mean, I do, but not from you." Adam laughed. "That came out wrong. I was going to go ahead to the store to get stuff for your birthday dinner tomorrow, so tell me what you want." 

"Oohh," Tommy drew out the syllables in a ridiculous fashion, "you gonna cook? For me?"

Even if he couldn't see it, Adam shook his head. "Yes. I mentioned it awhile ago, remember? And I cook all the time. Not all of us are kitchen disasters."

"I've only set off the smoke alarm once, and it wasn't my fault the instructions were wrong! You can't hold that over me forever, I'm not a bad cook."

"I totally can." Adam cradled the phone against his ear, pushing the cord away from the pad of paper. "So, what's your order?"

"Hmm." Tommy was quiet for a moment, and Adam could hear the rustle of his bag. "Can I request you do the cooking in an apron and nothing else?"

Adam held back a giggle, glancing up at the full room before turning away and leaning against the counter. He lowered his voice, though only a little; he couldn't make it seem suspicious but with everyone so quiet, he didn't want them listening in. "No. We don't even own one."

"Guess you'll have to do it naked then."

"I'm pretty sure that right under _always wash your hands_ the second rule of cooking is _never do that_."

"Why not? Seems like a good idea to me."

"That's cause you have no morals."

"That's funny, coming from someone who likes-"

Adam cut him off, knowing it was hardly the time for whatever that train of thought was. "Sorry to ruin your fantasies, but I'm not risking my junk for dinner, even if it is special."

"So that's two nos to the birthday boy? Harsh, man."

"Yup." Adam turned back around, picking up the pen on the counter. "So tell me something, or I can just make it a surprise."

"Okay, but if you are gonna be a spoilsport, I'm not gonna make it easy on you." Rather than sounding disappointed, Adam could very nearly hear in his tone the sly smirk he had to be sporting. There was a clink of metal, and then a rumble as the car's engine came on. "Call my mom and get her spaghetti recipe. It's been a long time since I had it and I've been craving it like crazy lately."

"Tommy," Adam laughed, incredulous, "you're joking right?"

"No way. I don't joke about that spaghetti, it's way too good."

As far as requests went, that one had never been anywhere near the list of possibilities Adam had run through. His face wrinkled at the thought of making that call. "What makes you think she'll even give it to me? What if it's like, some secret family recipe?" Kim, back again, was giving him a bemused look now and he shook his head in exaggerated exasperation.

"Nah, she will. She likes you more than me at this point I think." Tommy chuckled. "She's got good taste. 'Sides, all you guys are practically family to her anyway."

Adam made a _hmm_ of agreement, a voice in the back of his head reminding him how little both their parents actually knew drowning out less negative replies. Absent mindedly, he started to doodle a plate of spaghetti. "You know it's not going to be as good right? You should be asking her to make it."

"I'm sure it'll still taste great." Then Tommy's voice pitched down into something soft and decidedly sappy enough to have Adam smiling again. "Besides, think it'll be nice to taste your version. Take old traditions and make them new, you know? Ours."

"Yeah." Now Kim and Trini were both eyeing him and his probably goofy expression, but he pretended not to notice the scrutiny as he finished his drawing by adding tiny meatballs. "That sounds nice. Okay, spaghetti it is then. I'll call your mom now so I might still be here when you get back, I guess."

"Alright. See you soon baby, bye."

"Bye."

He took the phone from his ear, sticking it back in its cradle and giving his neck a roll. Kim and Trini were still looking at him expectantly, along with a few others.

"He just left, so we have about 20 minutes, depending on traffic." That seemed to satisfy most everyone but his two closest observers. "What?"

"What did he want?" Trini asked, in a way that made it sound like the question had been obvious.

"Oh. I have to call his mom and get her spaghetti recipe." He scratched his chin with the end of the pen. "Guess I'll try to do that quick before the party."

"Oh my gosh." Kimberly was grinning, bumping her shoulder into Trini who looked just as amused. "You two are so incredibly dorky. Wow. That's really cute."

Adam could feel himself blushing. "Don't you have anything better to do than eavesdrop on my relationship?"

"No, not with everything all done."

"Okay, well. Good." 

He left them to their fun and turned his attention to the neat stack of papers that had once been spread all across the counter. He dug out the address book, flipping it open to find the number for Tommy's parent's house. It wasn't the first time he would have called to talk to Tommy's mom, but it wasn't exactly a regular occurrence, and he could feel his stomach clenching into tiny knots already.

She was a nice lady. Almost impossibly hard to believe nice, in fact, and way more easy going than his own parents by a lot. He knew despite what he had said on the phone that she'd be happy to give him any recipe for whatever reason; especially when she had spent most of highschool and some beyond trying to feed the army that was her son's circle of friends whenever possible. But it still made him anxious, and the worry that it would seem too weird - wanting to cook Tommy a birthday dinner - stuck in his mind as he dialed the number.

"Hi, Mrs. Oliver? It's Adam!"

xxx

It took the majority of 8 pieces worth of his pad of paper to write down all the ingredients and instructions he was given, and Adam began to worry as the clock ticked down that he'd still be stuck on the phone when Tommy got there. As Mrs. Oliver launched into the merits of different pasta brands, he finally brought up the party as an escape route and told her that he'd have to go. She was delighted, and very understanding, making him promise that he'd call if he had any more questions.

He stacked the papers and tucked them back into the pile along with the address book as Zack and Rocky came over, sitting themselves down at the counter.

"So we gonna get a taste of that sauce, man?" Zack asked, both of them grinning at him. It took Adam a moment to understand the question, and he couldn't help but be amused a little at their eager faces. 

"You guys are really gossiping about spaghetti now? What a party."

"Party hasn't started yet, and besides, Mrs. Oliver's cooking is legendary," Rocky said. "And some of us haven't had any of it since like, graduation."

"Sorry guys, but it's a birthday special only." He glanced over at where the recipe rested. "Besides, I'm pretty sure it's going to turn out inedible cause it's way more complicated than I was expecting."

"Don't sweat it before you start," Zack shrugged, "I'm sure it'll turn out fine. Maybe not exactly the same but that’s cooking for you." He looked over at Rocky, smirking. "Better for him to experiment on Tommy first anyway right? We can have some once he gets the bugs out."

"Sounds good to me."

Adam was going to tell them exactly what he thought of _that_ arrangement, but Tanya came out of the bedroom where she had been taking a turn on lookout duty in a rush. "I saw his car!"

That kicked everyone into a flurry of activity; quickly, they crowded themselves into the living room in one little lump. There was a brief squabble over whether or not they should try to hide, but with hardly any furniture in the room it was quickly shouted down. Someone bumped against the table with the food which caused another brief round of fussing, until everyone eventually took turns shushing each other into silence.

Adam stayed where he was and out of the fray, deciding to hop up onto the kitchen counter. That put him right near the door. And meant he'd be one of the first things Tommy saw. There was a minute of calm and quiet in the apartment until the locks began to rattle.

Adam was grinning before the first one was even undone.

The look on Tommy's face when he opened the door and an apartment full of people shouted _SURPRISE!_ at him was worth all the work; his jaw dropped, eyes widening for a moment until his expression morphed into a face splitting grin. He looked from the group to Adam and back again.

"Holy shit."

There were various hoots and shouts - and a few party horns that someone must have snuck in after they had been vetoed by a majority vote. 

With the initial shocked past, Tommy closed the door behind him, hastily shedding all his stuff. The group began to fan out to greet him; but first, he stopped in front of Adam. His face was still caught in a smile, and Adam knew his own expression matched as he laid his arms over Tommy's shoulders. A strong hold gripped his waist and tugged him to the edge of the counter.

"You little sneak. You've been busy."

Adam didn't try to hide the bit of self satisfaction that he felt, "I am, and I have been. But I had a lot of help too. You really had no idea?"

"None." 

Tommy leaned in and kissed him, and Adam could still feel the pleased curve in his lips as they pressed close. Another chorus of even more unruly howls rang out behind them and the two broke the kiss with a laugh. Adam angled himself around toward the group.

"Guys, don't get everyone kicked out before things even get started."

"Sure thing, Sir," Jason quipped.

Tommy gave him a crushing hug before moving away and joining all the rest of their friends. Hugs and back pats and individual birthday wishes were doled out. Eventually things morphed into an actual party atmosphere, and they all did what they did best - had fun together.

Long hours later, when the last of their friends had been kicked out, Adam decided that he was glad that they had agreed to not have alcohol at the party; that meant no couch crashers sleeping off their buzz, and he was free to collapse onto it instead. He could hear the crunch of a few wayward chips in the cushions as he laid himself out. But that was a problem for tomorrow Adam.

"Tired?"

"Kinda. You're not?"

Tommy gave a shrug, picking up a napkin from the floor and taking it over to the decimated snack table. "Sorta. I think my buzz from the surprise still hasn't fully worn off yet." He started sorting through the mess, stacking up empty plates. "I meant to ask all night, where'd you even get this table?"

"Uh, Billy's parents, I think. What are you doing? Leave that stuff alone."

"What? I'm just cleaning up."

Adam sat up. "You can't clean up your own party. I'll get it, just chill out."

That got him a look, Tommy clearly not agreeing with that plan. "I don't mind. You already set everything up, at least let me clean."

"You're the worst when it comes to relaxing, you know?"

"Pot, kettle." 

Tommy sounded far too smug, but Adam couldn't refute his dig. Instead he resorted to more underhanded measures. He flopped back against the sofa cushions, holding his arms out. 

"Just c'mere."

“Well now you’re just playing dirty,” he tossed aside the paper plate in his hand, “and I can’t say no." Taking up the cushion next to Adam, and setting off another chorus of crunches, Tommy pulled him close. 

Adam let himself relax in Tommy's hold, resting lazily against his side. He realized now how little time they'd actually gotten to spend together during the party and was happy to have him all to himself again.

"Thanks again for everything. Really. I had a great time."

"I'm glad. For awhile I didn't think we were gonna get everything planned, to be honest. But everyone pulled it together. I never could have-"

"Yeah, yeah." Tommy hushed Adam with good humor, kissing his cheek hard enough to smush. "I know. All our friends are amazing, I'll send them thank you cards, especially Kat for calling while she’s stuck in Australia. But I'm talking to you right now." His voice mellowed, nose brushing across the patch of skin he had kissed. "It was your idea, and you put up with everyone's craziness to pull it off. For me. Means a lot, is all."

Adam had done all of it with the hope that Tommy would come away at the end feeling happy and appreciated, and a warm sense of satisfaction settled in him at hearing, and seeing, that he had. "Well, you know, you deserve it. But you're welcome." He closed his eyes, fighting off a yawn; Tommy close and warm beside him was relaxing his already tired body. "You can carry me to bed as a thank you. I'll get to all that stuff in the morning. I doubt Lulu will be interested in stale cheese puffs."

" _We'll_ get to it in the morning."

When a second passed and it became clear Tommy wasn't going to whisk him away to sleep until he agreed, Adam relented, "Yeah, sure."

"I'm not sure I believe you but alright. Come on," Tommy tapped Adam's arm, "wrap on little monkey."

In the end, Tommy half carried, half dragged, sort of dropped Adam to the bedroom as they both laughed the whole way.

xxx

Tommy didn't wake up until almost 10, which these days counted as sleeping in. The spot beside him was empty aside from a furry circle sleeping on Adam's pillow. That wasn't too surprising. Going into the living room and finding it cleaned top to bottom from the party, with even the table missing, wasn't either, but Tommy still felt put out at the sight. He pulled off the sticky note that had been stuck to the door with a mental grumble.

_Returning the table and some other stuff. Be back soon :)_

He thought over a myriad of ways to chew Adam out, lovingly, while he sat eating his breakfast. It wasn't like he wasn't grateful for everything; but a birthday didn't mean Tommy couldn't pitch in. By the time Adam was back he was prepared, sitting up a little straighter in his chair as the door opened.

Adam came in with his arms laden with grocery store bags. He glanced at Tommy for a moment when he spotted him before dumping everything. "Good morning, birthday boy." 

The clatter of cans and plastic momentarily distracted Tommy's planned speech. "What's all this stuff? Did they raid the cabinets last night too?" 

"No." Adam shuffled around, taking some packages of meat out and putting them in the fridge. "I had to get the stuff for the spaghetti. It needs to cook for like, ever, so I didn't want to wait too long to go out."

"Are you serious?" Tommy pushed himself up on the footrest of the barstool, reaching out to grab a can that had rolled out of its bag. Some kind of fancy tomatoes.

"Yeah. I have it written down, it needs to simmer for like 5 hours at least? Something crazy." Adam grabbed another handful of things. "But your mom said any good sauce recipe is like that."

"Man, I'm not talking about that." Tommy sat the can down with a loud thud. His questioning was laced with the smallest, tiniest hint of annoyance, "You're really still cooking this? After everything?"

"Yeah?" Adam slid the can toward himself and rested his hand on the top, looking confused. "Did you think it was a joke or something?"

"I honestly had forgotten, dude. I mean the whole party was kind of a big deal already." Tommy shook his head. "And I know what I said but it _was_ sort of a joke on my end. I mean, I'd love to eat it, but if you hadn't of wanted to talk to my mom I wouldn't have been mad."

"Even with the party, you still have to do something on your actual birthday. Would be lame otherwise."

Tommy shook his head again and slipped off the chair. "First you clean everything up alone and now you're gonna do this."

"I had the dinner idea before the party, actually…" Adam watched, semi-wary as Tommy rounded the counter, into the kitchen.

"I really should kick your ass." 

The mini-speech about doing too much, sharing the burden, and all those important things still sat there in the back of his mind; but looking at Adam, surrounded by vegetables and jars of spices and Tommy didn't know what the hell else, his aggravation had all but gone. In its place instead was a swell of adoration that filled his chest. So he did the only thing that now seemed appropriate.

Pressing Adam back into the counter he kissed his neck, his jaw, his mouth. Kept him trapped there until they both had to come up for air, and spaghetti had become the furthest thing from his mind. But he didn’t let him go far; arms boxed him in on both sides, keeping him close.

Adam was half lidded and licking his lips as his gaze roamed over Tommy’s face. "So… are you mad at me or not?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda mad. And I'm kinda crazy in love with you, and you're too good to me."

"That's… good?" Adam gave a small, still breathy laugh. "I love you too."

"We're gonna talk about this like grownups later. But for right now," Tommy hooked his fingers in the belt loops on Adam's jeans and gave a firm enough tug to unsteady his feet, "your punishment comes first."

"Punishment?" Tommy pulled again and Adam got the message, following along and letting himself be led as Tommy guided them backwards.

"I think this year instead of me getting birthday whacks, you are gonna be getting them"

Adam flushed. "I need to cook,” he offered half heartedly, making no efforts to stop himself from being dragged back into the bedroom. 

"It can wait."

Adam needed no persuading.

The spaghetti got started far behind schedule. And it took several totally-not-panicked calls to his mom to complete. But they decide to cook it together, and while it wasn't exactly the same as the one he had grown up with, it was still the best tasting spaghetti Tommy had ever eaten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one sooooooooort of stretches the limits of my little self-imposed chapter theme, especially the last bit. but. couple cooking and canoodling is always worth it. also, i totally imagine that tommy and adam both have the Super Cool For The 90s nokia 5110, probably with obnoxiously patterned faceplate covers.


	6. D.O.D

The door opened with a harsh _whack_ against the wall, making Tommy wince. Adam, having gracefully stumbled into it, stumbled away again and into the apartment.

"Calm down, Incredible Hulk. Don't put a hole in the wall."

"Well I _was_ green." Adam giggled to himself, slumping into one of the chairs. "But you were too. So uhmm, you can be She-Hulk."

"Pass. There has to be a different green superhero I could be." Tommy eyed Adam, making sure he wasn't about to go tumbling out of the tall chair and into the floor. "You feeling alright?"

Adam gave him a sour look. "Yes, Father. I didn't drink that much." The slight slur in his words was very convincing.

"Uh huh." The hiss of the faucet filled the kitchen as Tommy grabbed a glass. "Remind me to tell Zack not to goad you into doing shots again."

"He didn't goad me. It was a- a challenge."

"That's the same-"

"We had to answer, finally, once and for all," Adam continued on, not interested in listening to Tommy, "who’s the better Black Ranger."

"With a drinking contest?"

"Yes. And I won!"

Adam looked at him, all rosy cheeks and beaming smile, and Tommy couldn’t stop from smiling back at the sight. 

"I can tell." He walked around, holding out the glass of water. "I’m very proud. Now drink this." Without complaint Adam did, taking the cup and chugging down the cool water in big gulps. "And then it's off to bed for you."

Adam scowled at him over the rim, swallowing down the last bit and near slamming the glass down onto the countertop. Tommy cringed. 

“No.”

“No?”

“Why?”

“Why.”

“Why sleep? No.”

“Love it when you talk Caveman to me, baby.” Tommy thumbed Adam’s nose. His offending hand was quickly but ineffectually swatted away. 

“Shut up. Not tired, don’t want to go to sleep yet.” Despite his words, Adam let his head fall forward, forehead smacking into Tommy’s sternum full force and resting there against him. That earned another wince. All the grace Adam had went out the window once he had drinks in him.

“Not tired, huh?”

“No. Just…. head’s heavy. Don’t try to get rid of me.”

“Not getting rid of you.” Wrapping his arms around Adam’s hunched over form, Tommy rubbed his back. He could feel the tips of Adam’s shoes just barely brushing his jeans as he swung his legs back and forth. “Only trying to make sure you don’t wake up regretting your little competition.”

“S’fine.” Adam’s voice had started to grow even more mumbly, “Can handle it. Was a lot of fun.” 

“Yeah, it was a good time tonight.” Tommy weighed the pros and cons of dragging Adam, possibly kicking and fussing, into bed. An uncoordinated Adam might be worse than a coordinated one. But it was already past 1am and he was tired himself even without alcohol. 

A loud sigh interrupted the debate, Adam’s warm breath tickling his skin through the fabric of his shirt. “I shoulda won, right?”

“Just gonna ask me to throw Zack under the bus like that, huh?”

There was another warm huff. “No.” Adam continued on after a pause, quieter and no less muttered, making Tommy unsure if he was talking to him or only to himself. “I was a good Ranger.”

“The best. Couldn’t have done it without you, you know that.” 

“It was good, to be good at something. Felt nice.”

Frowning, Tommy gently pulled back from Adam, giving his shoulders a bit of a push to sit him up straight again. “You’re good at a lot of stuff.”

“I guess.” Adam shrugged, his face gone somber. The scales seemed to have tipped from happy drunk to sad drunk, which now made Tommy’s decision much easier. Ranger nostalgia was always a dangerous thing to indulge.

“You’re good at a lot of stuff. In fact I can think of at least 10 things right off the top of my head. And,” he added jokingly, “none of them even involve taking your clothes off first.”

“You’re an ass.” 

A sudden fist shot up and, much to his surprise at how quick Adam could still move, a barely tempered punch smacked Tommy square in the pec. 

“Jesus,” he laughed despite the sting, because at least Adam was smirking at him now, “learn to pull a punch, will you.”

“Learn to………. whatever.” Adam affectionately patted the spot he’d hit.

“I’ll be sure to do that. Now, come on. Go brush your teeth so I don’t have to wake up next to whatever funky morning breath you’d have otherwise.”

“Fine, J’onn.”

Tommy looked at him, confused. “What?”

Adam stared back at him, equally confused, as if Tommy was the one not making sense with his question. “J’onn J’onzz.”

“Adam, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“He’s _green_.”

“Right. I’m that dude.” Tommy shook his head, watching Adam as he hopped out of the chair and wobbled his way down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title stolen from song from d.o.d (drink or die) by hide, cause it popped into my head while i was trying to come up with one. also, martian manhunter > hulk in the green battle.


	7. Got the Hair, Bring the Metal

It wasn't a sight Adam had expected to greet him when he got home. He closed the door slowly behind him, trying to keep it quiet; and keep from laughing so he didn't give himself away.

Tommy was standing on their couch, eyes closed, headphones on. The cord bounced in the air as he lost himself full body jamming out to some kind of epic guitar solo, if his own wild air guitar was any indication. The cord was attached to a boombox sitting on the coffee table. Adam had saved up for it in highschool and it was a cheap piece, sounded like it, and was only still alive after a run-in with a poorly timed monster fight thanks to more elbow grease than it deserved. But buying a new one was low on the priority list considering their crappy budget.

Tommy clearly hadn't heard the door open or close. Taking advantage of that, Adam silently but quickly crept over to the sofa. He stood at the end by the arm rest, staring up at the now bouncing man with amused fondness. His ability to make him laugh, even unintentionally, was one of the things Adam had liked about Tommy from the beginning, and that certainly hadn't changed. 

It took another few seconds before Tommy finally opened his eyes - and noticed Adam.

He jumped in surprise, arms pinwheeling as he almost fell off the sofa.

"Hey, you're-" he slid the headphones down onto his neck and glanced over to the wall clock, "uh, right on time." He gave Adam an abashed grin. "Guess I lost track." 

"Guess so. Looked like you were having fun."

"Picked up a new release. Well, not that new anymore." Tommy jumped down from his makeshift stage and onto the floor with a thud. He swiped a CD case from the coffee table and handed it to Adam.

Adam only vaguely recognized the band name, probably from Tommy mentioning them in passing before. He turned the jewel case over and idly scanned the tracklist. "Is it good?"

"Yeah! Was actually on my second listen." He gestured with his thumb toward the stereo. "You wanna hear?"

Music was one area where the two of them didn't always line up, and based on the cover art Adam hazarded to think the answer to that would be _probably not_. But Tommy was looking at him with a wide, toothy smile.

He plopped down onto the sofa. "Yeah, sure. Put it on."

"Cool." Tommy poked around the stereo, pausing and restarting and unplugging, sinking down beside Adam and tossing an arm around his shoulders after pressing play.

"You gonna sing some of it for me?"

"Very funny." Tommy stuck his tongue out, earning him a poke in the ribs.

It was certainly not cuddling music in any sense, but instinctively Adam leaned into Tommy's side as he open the case and took out the booklet. He skimmed through the pages and lyrics as Tommy hummed and drummed on both their thighs along to the song.

"Oh!" Tommy interrupted the music with a snap of his fingers. "I picked up a new cassette adapter for your wagon. Cause yours broke right?"

"You did?" That earned Tommy a kiss on the cheek, Adam both surprised and touched that he'd remembered, and gone out of his way to get him a new one. "Yeah, the cord ripped. You're saving me from going crazy listening to the same stuff over and over on the radio, thanks."

Tommy looked chuffed by both the thanks and the kiss. "No problem."

Adam soon lost interest in the booklet and tossed everything back onto the coffee table. He burrowed closer into Tommy's side and the two of them spent the run of the CD like that, talking about this and that and nothing of importance. It was one of the best afternoons Adam could remember in awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while i won't make any declarations about what tommy's taste in music might be (or what the hell year this might take place in), i did listen to powerman 5000's tonight the stars revolt album while initially writing this. it's a good album, adam. also if you aren't Old (sobs) and don't remember a time when cassette adapters were a thing, it's a handy little fake cassette tape you can plug into your portable CD player/mp3 player/watever to play music in your car if a tape deck was all it had.


	8. I Meant to Say, I Love You

Adam spit his toothpaste into the sink, a swig of water following after. He wiped his mouth with the heel of his palm; let his hands fall to the edge of the sink. Took a moment to attempt to gather up what little energy he had that morning. 

Out in the kitchen he could hear Tommy, talking quietly to Tallulah and going about his morning business. He’d been awake for at least an hour, Adam gauged, his spot on the bed already cold when the usual alarm had woken him. Up bright and early for another meeting with the head of his department, professors, advisors - Adam didn’t actually know this time.

Once done in the bathroom he threw on his work clothes and went out to join him. Wordlessly, he slumped into the chair next to Tommy, who slid him a cup of coffee with a smirk.

“Looking like sunshine this morning, baby.”

Adam bared his teeth a little in a mock smile before chugging down several gulps. It burned a bit, but tasted just the way he liked it.

He took a moment to look Tommy over as he savored the next few sips; he wasn’t exactly dressed up, but he wasn’t in his usual jeans and t-shirt either. Khakis, polo shirt. Something a little more important than a simple office hours check in, then. And, Adam thought to himself, he looked good. “Busy this morning?”

“Yeah,” Tommy flipped through a few papers in a folder in front of him, “I have to talk to Dr. Mann. Or well, not really talk, but show her the application essay I've been working on. She wanted to look it over and make sure it doesn’t suck I guess before I send it.” He laughed a little, but Adam could hear the nerves in it.

“Don’t sweat it. It sounded great to me, you know your stuff.” Adam reached over and grabbed one of Tommy’s hands to still his fidgeting. “You’re not a bad writer even if you don’t believe it. And I’m sure she’s seen worse cause she’s like, 100.” That got a real laugh, and Adam smiled. 

“More like 90. But thanks. If you say it’s good, must be, since you’re way better at that stuff." He took a steadying breath. "If she agrees, that’s it. Just have to put everything together and mail it off. No going back.” 

Tommy’s grip tightened a little, and Adam brushed his thumb across his skin, trying to help settle him - even as his own anxiety grew. “You'll be alright. It’s an application for a study program, not a death sentence.”

“Same difference. Academics kills the soul, man," he joked, though it fell a bit flat in the delivery. 

Adam hummed, letting their hands drift apart with a final squeeze. He picked up his cup, cradling it for a moment. “But you want to spend a million more years doing it. Second thoughts?”

Tommy took a moment to consider the question seriously, and Adam found himself studying him again. Despite the stress and back and forths Tommy had been putting himself through since one of his professors had first mentioned this program, Adam already knew that it was what he wanted deep down. And that it was only going to be the first step for him. But commitment was always scary. He could understand.

“No. No second thoughts. Just nerves.”

They made idle small talk for a few minutes while Adam finished his coffee and Tommy finished packing up what he needed, and double checked, and triple checked. It was simple enough conversation that Adam let the thoughts in the back of his mind wander; he had many that had gone unsaid over the past three weeks. He’d kept them in, telling himself that Tommy had enough on his plate - "it can wait" was his new mantra. But he wasn't exactly complaining. Supporting late night library stays, working with unexpected schedule changes, and listening to Tommy sort through his thoughts late into the night were all things he was happy to do because it was him. Adam would never complain about that. 

And he could admit that part of him didn’t want to bring things up in the first place and find out where that conversation might lead. But his sleep was terrible lately, and a sour stomach had been following him for days. 

Tommy had been upfront from their first conversation that if he went after this, if he got it, it would mean relocating. Hours away. An entirely different school, different city. Adam had smiled and nodded and wow’ed, called it a big change, and they’d moved on to a flurry of other topics. And it had yet to come back around. He didn’t know if Tommy was avoiding the subject like he was, or simply was too busy to think about it.

It was all Adam could think about sometimes.

“Have they told you how long it will take for them to decide who gets accepted?” Empty cup in the sink, Adam scanned the closed cabinets, thinking about what was inside. But he didn’t think he had an appetite for breakfast that morning.

“Could be up to a month, which sucks.”

“Long time. Guess they wanna be thorough about it.” Despite knowing he wasn’t going to eat anything, he opened a random cabinet, staring at the few boxes that sat on the shelves. It gave him something outside himself to focus on as he spoke. “That’s sort of good though, don’t you think? Gives you time to look into other stuff….. make plans."

“What, like other programs, just in case? Maybe. I don’t know that there’s really any other ones out there like this.”

“That might be good. But I mean, there’s a lot of other stuff you’ll have to figure out if you do get accepted.” 

“That’s true.” Tommy tapped his thumbs on the counter in an offbeat rhythm. He looked like he was thinking over it, maybe. Or maybe he was still stuck on his nervous energy.

Adam closed the cabinet with a heavier hand than necessary as he turned around. Leaned back against the counter, wrapping his arms tightly around himself, though he tried to seem casual as he spoke. "Talking to your boss, figuring out what expenses you'll still have to cover yourself, plans to get stuff out there….” 

Adam knew he was making this harder than it needed to be. He wanted Tommy to magically read his mind, know what it was he was trying to get at without having to be brave enough to say it himself.

And offer up instant reassurance against all the doubts he’d built up in his late night thoughts. 

The warmth from his coffee was long gone as a cold sweat seemed to settle over him. “I’ll have stuff that I’ll have to start thinking about too.”

“Yeah.” That seemed to finally give Tommy a moment of pause. His fingers stilled, mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. “Hadn’t thought about that yet.”

Tommy said it as easily as he said most things, but the words cut. Adam felt his throat burn, tighten. But with effort he swallowed all his feelings down. “You’ve had a lot on your mind just with the application and interviews and stuff, it's alright. It's not a big deal anyway.” He scanned the counter, grabbing for his keys and wallet that were thankfully where they were supposed to be. Quickly glanced at the watch that he apparently forgot to put on that morning. “I better get going. I don’t want to be late.”

It was a poor lie. 

Tommy was crossing the room toward him, and he could see concern plainly on his face. “Wait, Adam-”

But he wasn't listening, shoving his wallet into his pocket with an embarrassing amount of difficulty. A coward. He’d finally brought it up and now he was running off, throwing the door open. “Good luck with your meeting!”

He slammed the door and left Tommy there, alone.

xxx

Tommy came home that night to an empty apartment.

He'd told himself on the way home that it was a possibility, but that didn't make walking into their too quiet home any easier.

The day had past him in a haze. His immediate thought that morning had been to go straight after Adam, bring him back and fix the upset he had clearly caused. But cornering him before work and forcing something had seemed like a bad idea. 

So he went to his meeting. Listened to his professor compliment his work and tell him how he was certain to get accepted, a sort of bitterness welling in him with every word of praise. Accepted her offer to mail it for him that afternoon because he irrationally hated that little stack of papers at the moment. Easier to blame it instead of himself for causing trouble.

Went to work. Threw himself into it, eagerly offering to do every little thing to keep his mind occupied. From wanting to solve the problem to avoiding it. But his boss eventually chased him out and left him with no more excuses to avoid going home. 

Spent the time between driving himself crazy at the apartment with nothing but his contrition and a cat to keep him company. 

The terribly slow passing of the hours, as much as he had hated them, at least brought better perspective. He'd known he'd messed up. Put his foot in his mouth and had what he meant come out all wrong. But he realized that instead of being one mistake, it was the final one in a long ugly list.

To Tommy, the important part of what he'd said had been _yet_. It had never crossed his mind that they wouldn't work those details out, that he'd leave Adam adrift. They'd get there. But what Adam had heard was _hadn't_. Looking back on how he had been behaving the past few weeks, he couldn't blame him.

So he put the time to use. Came up with more carefully crafted apologies than he could count, determined to get his words right this time. Explanations, but not excuses.

But Adam wasn't home to hear them.

At least Tallulah was there to greet him, darting out from wherever she had been to make herself a quiet nuisance at his feet. He squatted down, scratching the spot she liked on her face. "Hey Lu. You're probably hungry, huh? Sorry about that."

Her fur was soothing and her loud purr relaxing, so he allowed himself a few minutes of affection before going into the kitchen to fill her food dish. He absentmindedly watched her chow down, losing himself in thought again. When he came back around he noticed from the corner of his eye the blinking of the answering machine; one missed call.

He frowned, dreading pressing play a little.

The robotic voice gave her little speech, and then Aisha's followed -

"Tommy Oliver, you are the dumbest man alive, and if we weren't such good friends I'd be finding you and kicking your ass to the moon right now. But we are, so I know that you are probably kicking yourself already." There was some noise in the background Tommy couldn't make out, and Aisha sighed, some of the fire draining out of her voice, "Adam is gonna stay with me and Kim tonight. I think he needs some time, don't show up here with roses or anything, but you better have a plan to fix this by tomorrow. We'll take care of our boy until then. Didn't want you to worry, even if you are an ass."

Despite the dressing down Tommy couldn't help but smile. "Our boy." Aisha had definitely picked that up from Kimberly at some point. She had started jokingly referring to Adam as that years ago, just between the two of them, having taken a bit of a protective shine to him when the trio had first joined the team; and realizing Tommy had too, even if he used to roll his eyes at the terrible nickname. 

Tommy had come clean to her first when he finally admitted to himself that he'd caught feelings; it seemed only right, all history considered. He had called expecting confusion, disbelief - her smug amusement radiating over the line all the way from Florida had been very unbecoming. 

He figured he should be thankful it wasn't her that had left a message. Small mercies.

Mind put somewhat at ease knowing where Adam was and that he was safe, Tommy puttered around the kitchen, making himself eat something that passed for dinner. But taking a shower seemed too much effort. And the idea of going into the bedroom and laying down alone was more painful than he wanted to deal with. So he stripped his jeans off, stretched out on the sofa, and fell asleep in the late hours to the sound of infomercials, Tallulah curled up on top of him.

xxx

The morning came, bringing a mood that was no better than before and a literal pain in his neck. In spite of how little he wanted to, with a grimace Tommy pulled himself up and forced himself to get moving. He wondered if they could afford to finally upgrade from this third hand sofa that was long past comfortable.

A still familiar traitorous voice in the back of his head asked him why he cared if he was just going to be leaving anyway, but years of work allowed him to push it aside and focus.

He turned to well practiced stretches and moves to loosen up his muscles, and his worries, the routine of it all easy to lose himself in. And it got him sweaty enough that a shower could no longer be put off. 

Breakfast was less appealing, but he forced himself through it anyway. Sitting next to Tallulah on the floor for company, bowl balanced on his knees, he spoke around a mouthful of cereal, "Your food good?" 

She stopped crunching long enough to look up at him, sniff at the air, and then return to her meal. 

"Yeah. Same."

The rest of the morning slogged by in a slow motion blur of wasted time and indecision. He debated with himself endlessly - should he be waiting around? Should he go over? Call? No option seemed better than the others. So he put his trust in Aisha’s assessment and told himself to give Adam the space he needed. And then went back in circles all over again, questioning the choice.

Finally, not long before noon, the door rattled. He clamored out of his seat, wanting to be front and center and waiting.

Adam paused when he saw him. He was still dressed in his work clothes, overly wrinkled now. His hair looked half a mess with day old styling. Tommy could tell by his eyes he must not have slept well.

Despite everything, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw him.

“Hi.”

Finding himself again, Adam closed the door behind him. “Hi.”

Tommy wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, but he couldn’t help it - he stepped forward and pulled Adam into a hug. To his relief, arms wrap back around him, tight; and he could already feel himself being set right again just having Adam back.

An unexpected howl came from down at their feet. Adam pulled back and looked down to see Tallulah, staring up at him with a wiggle.

Tommy chuckled. “We both missed you.”

Adam let go of Tommy to scoop the waiting cat up. He buried his face in her neck with a kiss. “Sorry Lulu. I was…. being stupid. Avoiding things.”

“You weren’t. If anyone was stupid, it was me.” 

Tommy walked over to the sofa and Adam followed, arms still full of now content cat. They settled down beside each other; Tommy with his eyes on Adam, and Adam firmly focused on Tallulah in his lap. 

Now that they were here, all the things Tommy had planned to say seemed to be one big useless jumble in his head. He cleared his throat. 

“I'm sorry. I know that I've been pretty selfish lately. I wasn't trying to…" he sighed, already frustrated with his words, "but that's not an excuse. I let myself get tunnel vision when I should have been talking with you every step of the way instead."

Adam glanced up from Tallulah. He sounded small in a way Tommy hated to hear, "I get it, though. I know you were just trying to get to the finish line, you know. You had a lot on your plate."

"I was. But I was only thinking of what was easiest for me. Not what was best for you. Us," he quickly clarified. 

There was the briefest twitch at the corner of Adam's mouth, an almost smile at the word. "You were stressed. I'm not mad about it, even if… if it did hurt a little," he admitted. "But especially not when I could have said something myself all that time. Plus, it's…"

He trailed off with a pinched frown, looking away. Upset but trying to keep his guard up. It hurt to see him looking that way, but Tommy kept quiet, letting Adam get what he needed to say out in his own time.

"You'll basically be getting a brand new start, right? A whole new place, meeting new people, tons of new opportunities opening up. Not many people get that chance. So if you wanted to take it…" Adam shrugged.

Tommy felt taken aback by Adam's words. They were true, but it wasn't something he'd given much thought to. His focus had been only on the program. Everything beside that was secondary. "Take it? What do you mean?"

"You know, leave all the baggage behind." Adam said it almost like it was obvious, though it seemed to pain him to do it. He took another moment to gather himself again before continuing. "No Tommy Oliver, former Ranger, or any of that. Just you however you wanted to be. Considering everything all of us have been through, I don't think anyone would blame you for wanting to take that up. And if you wanted us to take a break, or… break up, I wouldn't blame you for that either."

Tommy swallowed, hard. "Is that what you've been thinking about all this time?"

"Partly." Adam's laugh was barely one, quick and harsh. "Constantly, if I'm honest. Which I should have been this whole time. But I'm not saying I want to break up," the words started to flow out in a rush, like he was afraid he wouldn't get to say them, "or that it wouldn't hurt or that I- I don't care. I don't want to. I love you, a lot, Tommy. But I'm not going to be the asshole that tries to hold you back from living your life."

"You are pretty far from being an asshole, Adam." 

Gently, Tommy took his chin in hand, grateful that Adam let him guide his focus back. That he looked right at him. He wanted to be able to see his face, his eyes, no more misunderstandings or miscommunications.

"No matter what happens with this thing, I'm not planning on leaving you behind. I don't need to be a brand new Tommy Oliver. Especially if it would mean I don't have you. Besides," he let a finger drift across the soft skin under Adam's chin, "I've already gotten a fresh start, with you."

Adam still looked unsure as he held his gaze, but he took Tommy's hand from his face and held it. Threaded their fingers together with a grip tight enough to almost crack joints. But Tommy squeezed right back. "Are you sure?" he asked, quietly. "If something like that is what you want, I don't want to keep you from it."

"I'm sure, hundred percent. It hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm excited about the program, sure. But trust me when I tell you I'm already happy right now and I love you too." He pulled their hands up to his face, kissing the back of Adam's. "And you are stuck with me until you finally wise up and kick me out. Okay?" 

Adam nodded and, at last, a small genuine smile spread across his face. "That won't happen. And I'm sorry, for not saying any of this until it boiled over. It made everything worse." 

"I don't blame you, cause I wasn't making it easy for you. If I had used my head a little better you wouldn't have needed to bring it up at all."

"We both have things we need to work on, I guess." 

Adam let out a small sigh, like he was letting go of the last of his worry. And then he was scooting forward, pulling Tommy close, arms wrapping strong around him.

Tallulah remained, unbothered, the rumble of her purr sounding against him as she was near crushed by the embrace. 

"Love you," Adam murmured into his neck.

"Love you too."

As far as hugs went, it was perfect.

There were plenty of things that still needed to be said between them, and discussions to be had. But Tommy already felt like a weight had been lifted. And from how much more relaxed he looked when he pulled away, Adam must have felt the same. Grabbing his hand again, Tommy stood up from the sofa. "So, I don't know about you, but I didn't sleep worth a damn last night."

"Yeah… it wasn't a very good night."

"Come on then. How about grown up nap time?"

Back into the bedroom they went, together, Tallulah trotting in tow. Settling down with the curtains closed and the blankets pulled up high, Tommy thought that the bed had never felt more comfortable. And curling up with Adam in his arms had never felt more right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another stretched theme chapter, but *finger guns* worth it. communication is key, boys. what does tommy study, you ask? that's easy to answer, he *dial tone noise*
> 
> but seriously, i do like the idea of him becoming an Academic. the whole dino angle though...... more questionable. also i think this chapter highlighted who my second favorite ranger actually is (sorry tommy) but i couldn't stop myself, oops. kim and adam as besties is my fav thing.


	9. BONUS: Putting on the Ritz

Jason checked his watch as he walked into the apartment lobby and headed for the elevators. He was a little early, but he figured that wouldn't be a big deal. He'd run into Tommy by chance earlier that day and the two of them had made plans; it had been some time since they'd had a chance to hang together, so armed with snacks and some PlayStation games he'd headed over.

Jason had been given a key to their place not long after Tommy and Adam had first moved in, and had used it plenty of times before, so he didn’t think twice about letting himself in. 

The kitchen and living room were empty and he called out, "Yo?"

There was no response and so he shrugged, sitting the snacks down and putting away the drinks, keeping one for himself. He popped it open with a _kshh_ and was going to wait on the sofa until a voice stopped him.

"Welcome home."

Adam appeared, coming out of the bedroom and down the short hall to the living room. He was shirtless; covered only by a pair of silky looking red boxers and a set of suspenders he had clipped onto them. Plus a black bow tie wrapped around his neck. He stood at the entrance to the hallway with his thumbs hooked under the suspenders, hip popped out to one side in an exaggerated manner.

It was only when he was done setting his pose that he seemed to realize it was Jason standing there.

Jason, to his credit - mostly - managed to keep a straight face.

"Tommy didn't tell you I was coming over, did he?"

“Nope.”

The silly grin that Adam had walked in with had fallen into blank mortification, and Jason was able to see the red flush of embarrassment that spread across his face and neck. They stared at each other for a split second with neither sure what to do next.

Clearing his throat, Jason gestured to Adam and then pointed at his own neck. “I like the uh- accessory.”

“Thanks.” Adam sounded like the word was being strangled out of him, and that finally broke Jason into a smirk. “It’s from an old Halloween costume. I was trying to organize the closet a little.”

“That's productive.”

“The boxers are Tommy’s,” Adam added after a beat. And seemed to instantly regret it, grimacing. Jason couldn’t hold it together any longer and had to laugh.

“Of course they are, with the red and everything. It’s uh, a good look. I mean, I think he’d like it. So I won’t tell. You can keep it a surprise for another day.”

Jason wasn’t sure himself if he was trying to be helpful or an ass. He took a swig of his drink to keep any more comments to himself.

“I will do that. I’m going to go back into the bedroom now. Make yourself at home.”

"Will do." He saluted Adam with the can, still laughing, as he turned and power walked back into the bedroom and shut the door. Hard.

Jason did feel bad for busting in on him now and messing up whatever plan he had cooked up for Tommy. But it was still pretty fucking funny.

It was only a 5 minute wait or so before Tommy showed up. 

By way of greeting Jason said, "You're in the doghouse, dude."

"Hello to you too. Sorry I'm late." Tommy shrugged off his coat. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You didn't tell Adam I was coming over to hang."

Tommy froze.

"Ah, fuck."

"Yup."

"I thought about it, but he was at work then, so I meant to call and…" Tommy sighed, running a hand through his hair and giving it a shake as he did. "How pissed is he?"

"Maybe not too much, I don't think." Jason shrugged. "But I guess it's kinda my fault too. I figured you had given him a heads up so I let myself in."

Tommy fixed him with a scrutinizing look. "What happened?"

"My lips are sealed, but I think you coulda gotten some pretty good tonight if you weren't stuck with me." Jason grinned, enjoying the various array of emotions that crossed Tommy's face in quick succession. He didn't even really know if that was true, Adam could have been going for just a laugh, but it was fun to mess with his friend.

"What the hell does that mean? What did-” Tommy’s voice seemed to go as tight as Adam’s had earlier, “Did you see him naked or something?"

"Couple times." Tommy looked like he was going to lose it either from confusion or annoyance at this point and Jason had to hold back his laughter to be able to speak. "We've all showered at the gym before, remember dude?"

"Man, fuck you."

Tommy flipped him off and left his friend to laugh himself stupid on the sofa alone. He had to go and maybe grovel for forgiveness for his forgetfulness - and try to figure out what the hell had actually happened before he got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's a wrap! for now. i do already have some ideas bouncing around in my head for more similar adventures in this verse, but who knows. you can for sure imagine that one day tommy does see those suspenders and boxers in all their glory, possibly hidden underneath a big winter coat first, ha! feel free to come say hi/be my pal on [twitter](https://twitter.com/trashbrain) where i am often screaming/liveblogging PR much to the constant confusion of my friends. or on [tumblr](https://depmode.tumblr.com/)!


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